Carrying Pepper spray... how and why?

[ShooterMcGavin]

I recently bought some new Pepper spray (Fox Labs), to replace the stuff that I gave to my ex-girlfriend.

I bought the 2 oz spray and I got a 'holster' for it. It is a lot bigger than I thought. I'd feel like a cop if I were to wear it on my belt all the time.
How do you carry pepper spray? Another loose item in a pocket?

I told a good friend that I got pepper spray and he responded, "Why carry pepper spray? You have a gun". My answer was: "because a big, unarmed drunk thug can try to hurt me or a friend; the courts would probably not consider that my life is truly in danger (if he doesn't have a weapon), and he doesn't need to die to be stopped". I guess that's my best answer.
Why do you carry pepper spray? Unarmed attackers? Dogs even? Maybe you see no need for the spray?

 

[GRIZ22]

I carry pepper spray as it gives you some intermediate weapon when a firearm is not called for. I use a belt holster on the weak side or one of the pocket size ones in a pocket with nothing else in it to get in the way.

If you can fight like Chuck Norris or Steven Segal you probably don't need the pepper spray.

 

[Green Lantern]

I carry a 2-oz Fox Labs in my right front pocket, the ONLY item in that pocket.

I think you did a fine job already answering the question of "why." To paraphrase the old saying: not every problem is a nail, so own more than a HAMMER!

 

[Damien45]

I totally agree, you did a fine job of answering why. I guess you could carry the spray any number of ways. If you have a coat/jacket with an inside pocket it could go there, on your belt, ect. Wherever you put it, get used to getting it from there.

I am going to have to figure out where to load some pictures for storage. I was recently sprayed for my ASF Academy. Having finished it, washed my face/eyes clean and it's been a couple weeks....I can finally laugh at the pics! lol

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

I use a belt holster on the weak side...

Are you a LEO? If not, isn't that a little bulky?
My full-size gun is easy to carry concealed (and I'm not a big guy), but I think that pepper-spray holster would draw some attention.

Wherever you put it, get used to getting it from there.

I totally agree. That's why I don't want to rely on a jacket, which I only wear for half of the year.

 

[ShackleMeNot]

I carry my OC in my left side cargo pocket. Easy enough to get to from standing, sitting or grounded but out of the way of my lethal tools on my belt.

 

[dpesec]

I have mine on the key ring next to my kubaton

 

[shadowalker]

I carry my OC in my weak side cargo pocket as well, also the only thing in that pocket.

 

[Hoppy590]

since i spend most of my daylight hours on a college campus i do let my guard down. im walkign about in large groups of people. i probibly should be more alert. but on campus, broad daylight. 1,000's of people out and about and a surprisingly pro active and present police forces, both campus police ( who are legit, sworn, armed LEO's) and local town police who are normaly rotated between town and campus forces. walking too and from Criminal justice classes with classmates. i ... dont. carry pepper spray. in compliance of my campus disarmament... er. safety policys.

walking home from work at 1030- 1045 at night, across large parking lots near lots of college bars and normaly through the garden known as "the rape trail" ( dont think any actual rapes have occured, but thats what its called)
i ... dont. carry pepper spray. in compliance of my campus policys.. so not. strong hand on spray, weak hand on Surefire because that would be a violation of campus policy....

 

[Reyn]

Just make sure it has a protective cap or you dont have an item that can set it off. It will soak through and it doesnt feel good.

 

[MudCamper]

Sometimes I carry the Fox 2 oz, in it's holster on my belt, right next to my cell phone. It's about the same size (relatively), and it looks like just another tech gadget.

 

[longtooth]

excellent, Excellent, EXCELLENT answer. That is exactly the reason I carry pepper. I carry it in a Comp-Tac belt holster. It is the same 2oz that you got. It is a little thicker than my cell phone. Dont feel like a cop. Feel like a wise young man.
LT

 

[bad LT]

Big +1 to carrying the spray IN YOUR HAND when possible!!!

 

[Naperthrill]

I carry a 1/2 ounce that fits on my keychain. It's good for 10 or so short bursts.

2 oz? Maybe I need to be educated more about Fox Lab sprays, but 2oz seems like overkill to me. I don't plan on stopping an angry mob or anything.

Do the 2oz cans have longer range or any other advantage other than capacity?

 

[K-Romulus]

carry type depends on season

In the colder months with fleece or jacket, I carry the Fox 2oz. on the weak side with the soft holster w/metal belt clip that came with the spray from selfdefenseproducts.com. The 2oz. is kinda clunky.

In the warmer months (T-shirt weather), I carry the 1/2oz Fox with the Comp-Tac "Miska Clip" on the weak-side belt.

Since MD is a "self defense-free zone," that's all I got to go along with the Spyderco. In my rare PA and VA ccw moments, Fox serves as a less-lethal option, so I don't wind up like that Nevada hiker guy (in jail for shooting an unarmed lunatic).

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

2 oz? Maybe I need to be educated more about Fox Lab sprays, but 2oz seems like overkill to me. I don't plan on stopping an angry mob or anything.

Do the 2oz cans have longer range or any other advantage other than capacity?

I think the 2oz probably has a greater range, and I read that the 2oz is less likely to lose pressure and effectiveness over time (lasts longer than the keychain ones).

I carry pepper. I carry it in a Comp-Tac belt holster. It is the same 2oz that you got. It is a little thicker than my cell phone. Dont feel like a cop. Feel like a wise young man.

I think the size of the holster I have is what makes it stand out so much as something a cop would wear on his belt. The holster fits the spray loosely, and it'a probably 6" tall. Maybe I should return it and buy the Comp-Tac belt holster??
Here is the one I bought: http://www.defensedevices.com/leather-pepper-spray-holder.html

 

[carpettbaggerr]

Why?

I carry an ASP key defender so I don't get my knuckles bruised.

OC and kubotan all in one. Keeps my keys handy in my right front waistband.

 

[Green Lantern]

I tend to agree somewhat with things on your belt making you stick out...

I say "somewhat" because on one hand, EVERYONE (it seems) is carrying cell phones, PDAs, and the like. But then again, they're getting smaller and smaller, so they seem to 'stick out' less...y'know?

I sometimes wear my Brinkmann Maxfire LX in a Maxpidetion belt holder. One less thing in the pockets, and I don't wanna scratch up the lens. A co-worker told me "I thought it was pepper spray at first!" when she asked what it was.

D'OH. It's like the open-carry catch-22. On one hand, a no-goodnik may see my light and think the same thing and decide to look for easier pickings. On the other hand, a no-goodnik may see it, think it's OC, and think "hey, THAT'S they guy I need to kill first if I want to rob this joint!" :banghead:

Well, you can't see it under the white coat anyway.

I was ****very**** glad I had the OC tonight. One of the prime examples of WHY to carry it, though thankfully I didn't have to use it. A customer was insisting that we had "shorted" him something that we hadn't. Given what the items WERE, it was easy to see that we hadn't but not so much to concince HIM of that. He got plenty angry, and left in a huff - convinced that we screwed him over.

As it was going on, and the pharmacist was getting chewed out by him (hey, they pay him more than me! ), was I silently cursing the bliss-ninnies that write the "no-guns" policy at work? Nope...I was just understanding how a small object can bring large comfort as I went about my business. But with my hand on the OC in my pocket the whole time, ready to jump if things "went south."

Oh yeah...whichever way to carry you choose, I see no reason that it should be different than a gun - pick a spot THAT WORKS for you, practice with it, and STICK to it!

 

[JN01]

The new OC device from Kimber seems to be a lot flatter and more low profile than traditional sprays. I don't have one, so I can't speak to their effectiveness, reliability, etc.

http://kimberamerica.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=281

 

[HiVelocity]

My .02 worth............Just food for thought.

Folks,

As a police officer, I appreciate the idea of carrying pepper spray for protection. What you also fail to realize is that pepper spray is only fully effective under ideal circumstances. You have to remember that at close range, say 6 to 15 feet, that if the wind isn't right, you'll be suffering from the same blast as your attacker. Or, you'll be suffering from the full effect and he/she won't. Then you'll have real trouble.

Also, many states consider pepper spray in the same manner as carrying a concealed weapon; with appropriate circumstances. Personally, I say, most people carry pepper spray in a pocket or purse where it collects dust, debris, and clogs the nozzle.

Why not take the CCW course and carry a pistol (instead) legally?

Just "Food for Thought".

JK in SC

 

[Valkman]

Why not take the CCW course and carry a pistol (instead) legally?

We're talking about carrying both - I do also. They showed us a film in CCW class of a guy who spits in the face of a CCW holder and explains you cannot shoot someone for that. That's why I carry pepper gel - when someone needs to be put down but not by lethal means. A guy I know has had much experience with pepper spray and crackheads and he says on the face and in one ear will put them down like they've been clubbed.

 

[GRIZ22]

Quote:
I use a belt holster on the weak side...

Are you a LEO? If not, isn't that a little bulky?
My full-size gun is easy to carry concealed (and I'm not a big guy), but I think that pepper-spray holster would draw some attention

I'm a retired LEO and worked most of my career in plainclothes. I know there are a lot of newer LEOs who like the TV idea of being in plainclothes and wearing your badge on your belt with your pistol exposed. To me that defeats the purpose.

The pepper spray I wear on my belt is not much bigger than a double column magazine so it really isn't noticable or bulky. If I can't wear that the smaller one goes in my pocket as I said.

 

[alucard0822]

I live in a state where obtaining a CCW permit for the average joe is all but impossible, I like to fish and hike in the summer time and always carry a 2oz can clipped to my belt to guard aggainst atackers of both the 2 and 4 legged variety, I have had to use it on one occasion when a big dog was not too happy that I was not sharing the fish I caught, I personally like the fact that both I and the dog are still around with no permanent injuries, and that some irresponsible (dog had a collar and was dragging a broken section of thin twine) pet owners careless actions did not result in tragedy. I keep the same 2oz can in my jacket pocket in colder weather, and a 1/2 oz can in my jeans on summer trips to baltimore and DC.

 

[ctdonath]

Won't carry pepper spray. I'd most likely need it to deter another dog from taking on mine ... which being small and slightly asthmatic could very well die from a close-range easy-to-misdirect shot of seriously noxious fumes (which would contradict the point of using the stuff in the first place). Ergo, I carry an ASP baton instead (your state laws may vary), usually in an external pocket of my omnipresent computer bag, or occasionally in my back pocket; being trained in Kali, I should be able to deploy it to a broad range of uses.

Besides, I like really spicy food, and consider cayenne pepper a condiment. Pepper spray chicken wings, anyone?

 

[308win]

I carry a 2oz fliptop Fox Labs cone pattern all of the time. In either my front right pants pocket or suit pocket. It is another option and in those circumstances where CCW is prohibited the best option I feel I have; knife fighting is one of many disciplines in which I have no training so I don't see it as an option even though I usually carry a Kershaw. If I am forced to get engaged in HTH if I have a choice it will be after I have used the OC not before.